Is Cardiff City’s Declan John on the road to Premier League greatness?

Declan John is in the Cardiff City first team on merit (Picture: Getty Images)

With so much negatives surrounding Cardiff City the last couple of months, I want to talk about what has been one of the biggest successes of the our roller-coaster season in the Premier League, and that is the emergence of one Declan John.

A home grown boy from the town of Merthyr Tydfil, John has been at the club since the age of eight and has developed into one of our most promising young talents and has established himself this season as one of the first team.

The first time I saw Declan play was his first team debut against Northampton in August 2012 in a League Cup match. City played one or two new signings, but the majority of the players were 21 and under.

On that night, despite the fact that we lost, the one player who caught my eye was Declan, with his bursts of pace and eagerness to get back to defend, I was very impressed.

The next time I saw Declan play was against Macclesfield in the FA Cup, and again, I was very impressed with this young man, despite the loss. I was also hearing good reports from my mates who go to the development games.

Declan John has been involved in some of the club’s biggest matches this season (Picture: Getty Images)

After Andrew Taylor was sent-off in the final game of last season, the left back spot was up for grabs, and John made a hell of a case for himself to be included with some of his performances in pre-season.

When I saw Declan’s name on the team sheet on August 17 against West Ham in our first Premier League game, I will admit there was a few doubts going through my head. However, yet again, the boy showed tremendous ability and was one of the few players to come away with credit despite a heavy loss.

Six months on, and not only is he a regular in the first team, but also a full Welsh cap. It has been an amazing 12 months for the young man.

What has impressed me more than anything is his mental toughness that he is showing at such a young age. Remember, this is a lad who’s first professional league game was two months after his 18th birthday and he was thrown into a Premier League match, talk about sink or swim!

This is a young man who wants to achieve all he can achieve with the ability he has been given and knows despite the fact he is currently a first team regular, there are three or four players behind him who will gladly take his place if he gets too big for his boots and his form slips. He knows he needs to fight to keep his place.

In a season that has had moments of darkness at Cardiff City, a new bright star has emerged in Declan John.